Alekano: a first for University of Goroka and Papua New Guinea

Elders and other supporters of the Alekano community handing over the Alekano study books to officially release the language and be taught at UOG.-Picture by KATE GUNN of UOG

This year saw the advent of the first group of 30 students study Alekano for Beginners, taught by Mr Philip Tama at the University of Goroka, Language and Literature Department.
This is the first group of UOG students to study the Alekano language as an academic subject. The Alekano dictionary was launched at the University in June of last year.
UOG is the only institution in the country to teach a Papua New Guinean language at university level.
A special gathering was held on Friday 6th November 2009, to officially release the language, and its embedded culture, to the University of Goroka for the teaching of Alekano to its students. This was symbolically conducted by the nine village elders of the Alekano-speaking tribes who were present to cut the ribbon which bound all materials and books used by the students for class (including the Alekano dictionary).
President of the Alekano Gako’ Otitive Group, Evangelist Bryan Kayho, said he was happy that the Alekano language was being studied by students from other provinces around PNG.
He also commended UOG for helping save Alekano from dying out.
The gathering was also witnessed by other prominent leaders of the Goroka community.
Mr Michael Gotaha also showed his support for the preservation of Alekano on the day.
In a speech by the Head of the Language and Literature Department, Ms Anne-Marie Wanamp, the gathering was reminded that “your tok ples (own language) is your identity, is your culture… and gives you a sense of belonging. Your language gives you your tools for self definition”.
Ms Wanamp also thanked the Alekano communities for their support in the collaborative effort to promote and preserve the language.
The Language and Literature students who studied the introductory course for Alekano said that they chose it as they wanted to help strengthen knowledge of the language, and because it gave them the motivation to help preserve their own tok ples.
The formation of the Alekano Gako’ Otitive Group was for the promotion and preservation of its language and the culture.
This is comprised of nine tribes from 50 villages around the Goroka area, with a total of approximately 47,000 speakers of Alekano.
Apart from Alekano the Language and Literature Department also teaches Japanese and French.

Due to a high level of interest in Languages Other Than English (LOTE) courses, the University of Goroka will offer a continuation of these languages in the near future.

For further information please contact:
Mr Philip Tama
University of Goroka
Department of Language & Literature
Ph: 7311 893
Email: tamap@uog.ac.pg

Ms Kate Gunn
University of Goroka
PR & Marketing Officer
Ph: 7311 877

Technical glitch

My apologies to readers of this blog from all over the world for a technical glitch which may have caused you some problems and panics.

The house is in order now and I’ll keep on giving you the best (and worst) of Papua New Guinea.

 

Malum

 

Miss Papua New Guinea in race for Miss South Pacific

By CHRISSILLA KABE TALIS of The National, Papua New Guinea's No. 1 daily newspaper

 

REIGNING Miss Papua New Guinea Red Cross Antonia Singut is contesting in the Miss South Pacific Pageant in two weeks time.

Ms Singut, 21, comes from a mixed parentage of East Sepik and East New Britain.

She is currently a third-year journalism and environmental science student at the University of PNG.

She was crowned Miss PNG Red Cross earlier this year.

Papua New Guinea’s quest organising committee has reignited its relationship with the regional pageant, hence, the inclusion of PNG in their board of directors and the attendance of the reigning Miss PNG Red Cross to the MSPP.

The pageant will be from Nov 21-28 in Suva.

Ms Singut will be leaving for Fiji on Nov 20.

She will be up against nine other contestants from around the South Pacific.

The other island countries sending in their contestant are America Samoa, Cook Islands, French Polynesia, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Niue and Fiji itself.

The reigning Miss South Pacific is Vanessa Marsh from Niue.

Meanwhile, the MSSP organising committee has set up a website www.misssouthpacificfiji.com, where you can vote for your favorite.

Ms Singut  will be accompanied by her chaperone Molly O’Rourke, PNG quest organising committee chairman Dadi Toka Jr and other supporters.

Mr Toka said PNG is the largest Pacific country and everyone should get behind Ms Singut by placing a vote for her on the website.

His team is confident of her chances.

It is also taking this opportunity to promote PNG tourism while in Fiji and will also bid for PNG to host next year’s pageant.

Death of Goroka radio personality Lucy Baru

I was quite saddened to hear this morning that well-known Goroka personality Lucy Baru, a famous radio voice in Eastern Highlands, and also on the PNG women’s bowling scene, passed away last weekend (from mouth cancer, I believe).

She was a good friend and I just met her couple of weeks ago at my mother’s haus krai (house of mourning) in Lae, at which she didn’t look sick at all.

Very sad, but also a timely reminder to Papua New Guineans, of what excessive betel nut chewing can do.

Somehow, and I know, being a Goroka lad myself, that the town will never be quite the same again without Lucy’s personality.

Sir Mekere questions Prime Minister on corruption

From David Ulg Ketepa in Detroit, Michigan, USA

While many do not agree with me that we are heading out to become a police state under National Alliance, I strongly feel that we are shifting to that direction and I am afraid it will become soon. National Alliance now has the mandate and has the power to size government and bulldoze drastic changes which will see our freedom taken away from us.

The gun culture is now making Papua New Guinea another African state heading for disaster. The country population has tripled since the nineties, infant mortality is at its peak, TB and malaria among curable diseases is killing thousands every year, and what are the politicians doing about it? Nothing absolutely nothing.

I look at the current band of politicians and I don’t see anyone capable of standing out amongst the Third World as a person to be reckoned. Our political history is tainted with so much dirt; it’s tainted by people who have become rich overnight after plundering all the natural resources which would have put us on par with countries like Singapore and Malaysia.
These countries were born around the same time Papua New Guinea got self-government and they are now controlling all the major trade and economies in our region. While we are still scratching around the surfaces fighting for scraps, our own in-fighting is killing the hope of progress.
We forget the fact that MPs or members of Parliament are there now to make Laws. For Somare's terms in office, can someone list me the laws that were passed by him? Or under his leadership? We know this from high school social science that legislators make laws, which laws have NA under Somare's leadership pass to protect the continual plunder, rape, and stealing of our natural resources? What are the laws being passed to date to address corruption and the culture of greed and lust for power?
And the questions go on and on... Somare is cunningly manipulating our system to extend his empire and that of his cohorts and somebody has got to stand up to fight for the best interest of the majority of our people. He will do anything to cling onto power, even to places like Kandep to campaign for Polye. No gat sem blo em!

DUK
Detroit, Michigan
http://www.pngemmiyet.blogspot.com/

Corruption in Somare Government

Mr Speaker, I direct my question to the Prime Minister.

Prime Minister,

During your visit to Kandep to support the by-election campaign of Don Polye, you announced your intention to quit politics in 2012. Last Friday, the Post-Courier, your Government’s favourite daily, reported this news under the heading “Sir Michael to quit, again”.

The paper also went on to report and I quote: “The elderly statesman admitted corrupt practices were rampant in government systems but diverted the blame to public servants as the worst perpetrators”.

Prime Minister, at last you have admitted that your Government is corrupt. But instead of telling the people of Kandep and people everywhere what you intend to do about it, you blamed public servants.

Prime Minister, people are just fed up with corruption. Everyone, everywhere, is talking about it. People are fed up with lack of action to punish corrupt people and lack of action to get rid of corruption.

Now that you have finally admitted corruption in the public sector is, in your words, “rampant”:

1. Can you now tell us how you will deal with the corruption you have discovered?

2. Can you outline in detail and in concrete terms your plan to fight the growth and spread of this evil and destructive disease?

3. Can you give facts to substantiate your statement that public servants are the quote “worst perpetrators”? In what ways, and in what areas?

The large majority of people would in fact disagree with you. Most people know that it is a handful of Ministers who are the worst perpetrators, and people know who these Ministers are. Most people think that those public servants who are corrupt are just copying their political masters: public servants know they can get away with corrupt practices, because their leaders are in it too. They have joined the same club.

4. How will you convince Papua New Guineans otherwise?

5. But more importantly, how will you lead the fight against corruption?

Mekere Morauta Kt MP

Leader of the Opposition and

Member for Moresby North-West

Discovering Papua New Guinea aboard the Oceanic Discoverer

Tourist vessel mv Oceanic Discoverer arrived in Papua New Guinea on Nov 6 and will spend a month in the country.

The vessel arrived on Nov 6 in Alotau from Cairns and will undertake several cruises whilst in PNG waters visiting Fergusson Island, Kitava Island, Tuam Island, Madang, Lower Sepik River, Manam Island, Crown Island, Witu (Garova), Tufi, d'Entrecasteaux Group, Bona Island, Louisiade Archipelago, Laughlin Islands and continue on to Giza in the Solomon Islands on Nov 30.

The ships owner is Coral Sea Cruises based in Cairns, Australia

The vessel operates regular cruises to PNG waters and is being handled by Melanesian Tourist Services based in Madang.

Oceanic Discoverer is a modern sleek but small ship that can negotiate remote reefs, islands and shallow bays where bigger ships cannot go.

Onboard facilities are good and what you would expect of a much larger cruise ship: spa pool, bars, and lecture room.

Oceanic Discoverer passengers tend to be adventurous 35-65 and international.

When all cabins have double occupancy, the ship provides a space ratio of 25.5 tons per passenger and a crew to passenger ratio of one for every 3.6 passengers.

At full capacity the space ratio is 25.5 tons per passenger and the crew ratio is one to 3.6 passengers.